Tuesday, February 10, 2009

BASIC POKER RULES

Have you ever caught yourself racking your brain every now and again trying toremember the basic rules of poker hands, or forgetting what poker hand beatswhat? Don’t worry; this is a common concern among many novice players andeven effects intermediate players from time to time.

Regardless of what player category you fit into, let’s face it; you need to knowthe basics of poker in order to really dig your heels into the sport of TexasHold’em, or any other style of poker game for that matter. Thus, whether this isyour first time learning about the possible winning poker hands, or you are simplyin need of a little refresher course, here is what you need to know.

First and for most, a standard 52-card deck is used in every poker game,regardless of the number of players, or the style of game that is being played.The standard deck features the following cards starting with the highest rank tothe lowest as listed below:* Ace* King* Queen* Jack* 10* 9* 8* 7* 6* 5* 4

* 3* 2* Ace (an ace can count as both a low or high card)

Each rank is featured in the same 4 equal suits:♠ Spade♦ Diamonds♥ Hearts♣ Clubs

The object is to achieve the highest hand by obtaining one of the winning cardcombinations listed below in the table. Note, the following list begins withthe highest and ends with the lowest possible winning hand:Royal Flush Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of the same suit(A♠, K♠, Q♠, J♠, 10♠)Straight Flush5 consecutive cards of the same suit(5♦, 6♦, 7♦, 8♦, 9♦)Four of a Kind4 cards with the same value(8♥, 8♣, 8♦, 8♠)Full House3 of a kind and a pair, with the 3 of a kind valued first(7♦, 7♣, 7♥ - 4♠, 4♣)FlushAny 5 different cards of the same suit(3♥, 5♥, 7♥, 9♥, J♥)

Straight5 cards of any suit in consecutive order (7♣, 8♦, 9♣, 10♥, J♠)Three of a Kind3 cards with the same face value (10♠, 10♥, 10♦)Two Pair2 sets of pairs (2♣, 2♥ - 6♥, 6♦)One Pair2 cards with the same face value (3♠, 3♦)

HIGH CARD If none of the above hands are achieved within a game, the player with thehighest card wins. Additionally, In the event that two players have the samehand, the player with the highest card wins.

Now that you have familiarized yourself with the types of hands you are trying toobtain to win the pot, it’s time to learn or “refresh” your memory on how to playTexas Hold’em.

Of all the games played in card rooms today, Texas Hold’em is by far the mostpopular game, and one of the easiest to learn, making it both fun and rewardingto play. The object of the game is to make the strongest 5 card hand by using acombination of your 2 hole cards and the 5 community cards on the table.

When playing Texas Hold’em online, every player will have a turn at using thedealer button, which enables them to act as the virtual dealer. In addition eachplayer will be required to post blinds at one time or another.